Waiting for you
by ArtsyNinja3
Summary: Amu and Kukai have been best friends since childhood. Amu loves Kukai, but he rejects her, not wanting to ruin their friendship. Amu will try anything to get him to love her, even if it means waiting for him.
1. Childhood friends

**Me: **Hi! This is my first Shugo Chara! fanfic. This story was inspired by the story "Chasing You" by keaRy anCe. Enjoy~!

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**Narrator's P.O.V.**

"Kukai, get back here!" a pinkette yelled at a brunet. The boy just laughed and ran away from the fuming pinkette. She chased him to the bank of a river. The girl puffed in front of the boy, tired from all the running while the boy just stood there smirking.

"I'm not the captain of the soccer team for nothing, Amu," he said.

"Shut up!" the girl, Amu, said and dropped down onto the grass and laid down. The guy plopped down beside her and used his arms as a pillow.

"Hey Kukai, can we go to your house?" Amu asked. The boy looked at her with his emerald eyes.

"No," he said bluntly.

"Why not?"

"I'm going somewhere," he mumbled. Amu raised her eyebrow but decided not to pry. She sighed, feeling disappointed.

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere."

"Can I come with you?"

Kukai winced. "Yeah…no."

"You're meeting her right? Don't even bother lying, Kukai. I know you are." They were talking about Kukai's crush. Her name was Tsukiyomi Utau. She was a truly beautiful girl who was a year older than Amu. She was the same age as Kukai and was in the same class as him. Amu understood why Kukai liked her. She was confident, pretty and kind, though she had a unique way of showing. Amu still felt a pain in her heart when she found out though. Kukai and Amu stood up and started walking back home in silence.

Kukai couldn't take it anymore. "You know my soccer game is coming up right?"

Amu nodded enthusiastically. "Yup, and I'm going to cheer you on!" Kukai smiled at this. They've been best friends since they were 5. They were now in high school. Amu was 16, just a year younger than Kukai. Amu and Kukai were neighbours. They lived right in front of each other and got along well. They would often go to each other's houses and stay there for the night. Their parents were fine with it, since they lived close by. Amu, at first, was very cold towards Kukai, but Kukai did not give up. He eventually broke down her wall and became her friend. Amu spent more and more time with Kukai and eventually fell in love with him, at the age of 10. She confessed to Kukai, but was shot down. She did not give up though. She kept chasing him, even until now.

"Good night Kukai! See you in the morning!"

"Good night Amu!" he called back and walked into his house. Amu sighed and walked into her own house.

"Amu, you're back!" her mom greeted her. "How was your day?"

"It was okay," she replied simply. Her mom realised what was wrong with her daughter. She supported her daughter in chasing her best friend, but sometimes, she wished her daughter would stop so she wouldn't have to get her heart broken so many times.

"He's going to see her right?" Her mom also knew about Kukai's crush. She was like the second mother for Kukai.

Amu sighed. "Yeah, but it's fine. I'm going to see him tomorrow anyways!" She tried to sound cheerful but it came out fake. Her mom looked at Amu with sad eyes. "Mom, when do you think he'll finally notice me?" Amu whispered, looking at the ground.

Her mom pulled Amu into a hug. "I don't know, dear. Sometimes I wish you would stop."

"I just can't mom. No matter how hard I try, I just can't." She hugged her mom back and stayed in that position for a while, then she broke the hug. "I'm going to go shower now," Amu said with a smile and ran upstairs. She smiled, but her mother knew better. She knew Amu was just masking her emotions. Her mom just sighed and retired to her own room.

_Next day…_

"Morning Kukai!" Amu shouted as she waved at him from outside her house. Kukai yawned and waved back at her. He knew about her feelings for him, but he didn't want to wreck their friendship. It took him so long to just get her to open up to him. There's no way he's going to lose that. He ran up to her with a grin on his face.

"Do you know what time it is?"

The pinkette looked confused at first, then her eyes widened after she realised what he meant. "No, no, no, no, n –"

"100 METER DASH!" and with that, he grabbed her hand and started dragging her, running as fast as he can.

"AHHH! SLOW DOWN KUKAI!" Amu screamed. Kukai just laughed at her and kept running. After running 100 meters, he stopped and Amu hunched over, placing her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath.

"*huff* I *huff* hate *huff* you *huff* bastard," she wheezed out.

"Ouch, that hurt," Kukai mocked, placing a hand on his heart. Amu just gave him the middle finger and walked into school, slowly changing into her outer character. Students crowded around the front gate, mostly all her fans. Amu slung her bag over her shoulder and walked in looking bored.

"Kya! It's Hinamori Amu!" the boys and girls shouted.

"Tch. Get outta my way, idiot," Amu said coldly to a boy standing in front of her. The boy blushed furiously and stepped out of the way. She walked by and the boy swooned over her good looks.

"Kya! Cool and spicy!" they all shouted. Kukai chuckled and chased after her. They both went to their lockers, which were beside each other, and got the stuff they needed. Kukai was about to walk to class but Amu stopped him.

"I'll walk you to your class," she said. Kukai rolled his eyes.

"That's supposed to be the guy's job," he said but she didn't listen. She grabbed his hand and started to walk towards his classroom. After arriving there, she waved to his classmates, who knew her pretty well, and walked to her own class. Kukai sighed. She never learns.

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**Me:** I hope you enjoyed it~! Please press that gorgeous button underneath this and submit a review! it would make me write faster~! oh yes, the magic of that beautiful button!


	2. Boys

**Me:** HERE'S CHAPTER 2~! ENJOY~! Miki, please do the disclaimer.

**Miki:** ArtsyNinja3 does not own anything except for her own characters and the plot.

**Me:** thank you. now...ON WITH THE STORY~!

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**Amu's P.O.V.**

I walked to my own classroom with a small smile on my face. I stopped in front of my classroom door and changed my face to a cold one. Then, I opened the door. I walked in and slammed my bag down on my desk, then plopped down on my chair and stared out the window.

"Hey Amu!" I turned my head to see one of my best friends, Rima Mashiro. Rima was a petite blonde with big hazel eyes. She had a lot of fans who admired her looks. I nodded at her and looked back out the window.

"Any progress yet?" Rima asked softly. She was one of the ones who knew about my love for my childhood friend. I sighed and shook my head. "You know, I don't get why you just don't give up. He's hurting you, yet you mask your emotions. You're hurting yourself Amu."

I turned my head slowly to look into Rima's sad eyes. "I'm not even sure if I can stop Rima." She just sighed heavily as our teacher came into the classroom. I returned to staring out the window and tuned out of class.

_Lunchtime…_

As soon as the bell rang, I grabbed my bag, grabbed Rima's hand and ran towards my locker.

"Amu, slow down!" Oh right! I forgot Rima couldn't run fast. I stopped and let Rima catch her breath.

"*pant* What's *pant* the *pant* rush? *pant*"

"I'm sorry Rima. I actually just want to go see Kukai practice for his soccer game tomorrow," I replied, blushing slightly. Rima rolled her eyes, walked to my locker, opened it, and threw my lunch at my face.

"Gee, thanks a lot Rima," I replied sarcastically.

"No need to thank me. Now come on, you wanted to go see Souma right?" I nodded enthusiastically and started walking towards the soccer field. I looked around for Kukai while Rima looked around for a seat. Once she found one, she dragged me towards the bleachers, climbed up the stairs and sat down in the middle row. I looked around and saw Kukai's fan girls, the cheerleaders but no Kukai. I sighed, sat down, opened my bento and got out my chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu!" Rima and I shouted and started eating our lunches.

"Yo! Amu!" I looked down at the soccer field and saw Kukai with his group of friends. I put my lunch and my chopsticks down.

"I'm going to go say 'hi' ok?" I told Rima and waited for her nod. After she nodded, I jumped down the stairs and ran towards Kukai and his friends. "Hey Kukai, Tadase and Nagihiko."

"Hi Amu-chan," the two greeted back.

"What's up?"

"You see Amu, we need another player for today's practice," Kukai started.

I raised my eyebrow. "And what does that have to do with me?" I asked innocently.

"Yamada isn't able to make it today," Nagi continued.

"So we were wondering if you can sub in for him," Tadase finished. After hearing that, I felt very uncomfortable.

"Um, I'm not that good and besides, I'm wearing a skirt in case you haven't noticed," I said.

"Go get your gym shorts or something! Please?" Kukai said as he showed me his puppy dog eyes. I groaned and turned away so I didn't have to see them. I took a peek at him and saw him still doing his teary-eyed puppy dog face. I sighed and started walking away.

"Hey, where are you going Amu-chan?" Tadase and Nagi called.

"To my locker you dimwits!" I walked to my locker and got my gym shorts. "Boys…" I muttered under my breath. Can't live with them, yet you can't live without them.

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**Me:** tell me what you think by pressing that button right in the center of the page. no not that one. the one on the bottom! NOOO! NOT THAT ONE! THIS ONE! YES! now please press that button and submit a review! Arigato!


	3. Transfer Student

**Me:** Hello~! i'm sorry for not updating soon enough but here's chapter 3~! Enjoy~!

**Ran:** ArtsyNinja3 does not own anything except for her own characters and the plot. Yay!

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**Amu's P.O.V.**

I changed into my gym strip: a white tank top with black shorts. I walked back to the soccer field to see the whole team waiting for me. I stretched for a bit and shrugged my shoulders.

"Let's play." The coach divided the teams and I ended up on different teams than Kukai. I was kind of disappointed but I masked my emotions. I walked over to my side of the field and got into position. Kukai and I were going head to head for the soccer ball. I stole the ball from him and started running towards the goal with Kukai hot on my heels. I kicked the ball hard and sent it flying towards the goal. The goalie got ready and jumped to catch the ball, but missed by just an inch.

"And that, boys, is how a girl plays soccer," I said smirking. The boys on the team were left dumbfound as Kukai pouted.

"That's not fair! You cheated, right?" Kukai yelled. "Since when were you so good?"

"Well Kukai, it's called skills." I was really happy to spend time with Kukai. He's been busy lately. Whenever I'm around him, I get this fuzzy feeling in my chest. I snapped out of my thoughts and went back to the game. I dribbled the ball towards the opposite team but I was surrounded. I glared at the boys then kicked the ball above me. I jumped up and kicked it towards the goal.

"2 - 0!" My teammates ran towards me and gave me a group hug.

"Let go of me! You're all sweaty!" They laughed and let go of me.

"Now, now, don't get cocky just yet." Kukai smirked. "The game just started." I just rolled my eyes but inside, I was jumping with joy. But, hey, I have a reputation to keep!

**Narrator's P.O.V.**

The soccer team went on playing for 2 hours before the coach ended the game. The two teams were tied but it was already sunset.

"If we only finished the game, I would have beaten you," Kukai said cockily.

Amu just rolled her eyes. "Sure, sure."

"Hey! I'm serious!"

"I'm serious too! I mean, can't you just see the seriousness in my eyes?" Amu replied sarcastically. Kukai just huffed and got his stuff as Amu grabbed her bag. They started walking home together.

"Hey, Kukai! Over here!" someone called. They both turned around and saw Utau standing at the school gates. Kukai broke into a wide grin and ran towards her while Amu just stood behind and watched them with sad eyes. She quickly shook her head, put on a smile and walked towards them.

"Hey Utau! How've you been?"

"I'm doing fine, kind of tired actually. My brother kept me awake all night," she replied with a small smile.

"Well, I'm going to leave you two lovebirds alone now." Amu started to walk away but was stopped by Kukai.

"It's not safe for you to go home alone Amu," he said.

Amu just shook her head. "Nah, I'd probably beat the daylights out of them before they could even do something to me. You have nothing to worry about." Kukai grinned and nodded. Then, he started walking away with Utau beside him. Amu watched as their shadows disappeared before starting to walk back home. She arrived home safely but she ran up to her room immediately. _When will he finally notice me?_ She sighed and closed her eyes. _Sometimes I wish I never fell in love with him._

_Next day…_

**Amu's P.O.V.**

I was sleeping peacefully in my kingdom of fluffiness when the alarm clock just had to wake me up! I yawned, got changed and grabbed a piece of toast.

"I'm leaving!" I shut the door behind me and walked towards Kukai's house. I stopped in front of his gate. I shook my head, then walked away without going into his house to wake him up. I yawned again as I finished eating my toast. I sighed and slung my bag over my shoulder as I walked into the school grounds.

"Ohayo Amu!" I turned around and saw Rima smiling at me.

"Ohayo Rima," I replied.

"Ne, did you know there's gonna be a transfer student?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Really?" She nodded but kept her poker face. I shrugged and walked into the building with Rima following behind me.

"Eh? Where's Kukai?" my other friend, Yaya, asked.

"I didn't bother waking him up so most likely he's gonna be late." Before Yaya could say anything, the bell rang and a few seconds later, the teacher walked in.

"Settle down class!" The class quieted down immediately. "As most of you heard, there is a new student transferring into our class today. I want you all to give him a warm welcome. Come in please." A red-haired boy walked into our class. He was quite tall. He had auburn eyes and wore a black glove on one hand.

"Yo! I'm Taihou Nagatsuka. Pleased to meet ya!" he said. All of the girls had hearts in their eyes.

"Nagatsuka-san, please take that empty seat beside Himamori-san. Himamori-san, please raise your hand."

"It's Hinamori you stupid teacher!" I yelled as I slammed my hands down on my desk and stood up from my seat.

"Sorry, sorry," he said nervously. I sighed and sat back down. I stared out the window as the new student sat down beside me.

"Now I'm going to give you guys a free period since there's a new student! Bye~!" Nikaidou-sensei said, then he pranced out of the classroom. I sweat-dropped and continued looking out the window.

"Hey."

I turned around to see the new student looking at me. "Hey," I said back.

"What's your name?"

"Amu Hinamori."

"Well, I'm Taihou! Can I call you 'Amu-chan'?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?" Then suddenly, the door to our classroom slammed open and in came a panting Kukai.

"HINAMORI!" I gulped. Oh shit!

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**Me:** What do ya think? please leave a review by pressing the new and improved review button right in the bottom center of this page! thanks~! ^^


	4. Confusion

**Me:** Sorry for the delay but here's chapter 4! I'm probably not going to update anytime soon since I have 2 tests coming up in school...TT TT SOO ENJOY~!

**Yoru:** ArtsyNinja3 does not own anything except for her own characters and the plot! Nya~!

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**Narrator's P.O.V.**

Amu hid behind Taihou as Kukai stormed into the classroom. Taihou blushed as Amu buried her face into his back. Kukai looked around and saw Amu hiding. His eye twitched and he stomped towards her. Taihou stood in front of Amu protectively but Kukai just reached around Taihou, grabbed Amu's hand and dragged her outside of the class. The students looked at each other with confusion.

Yaya then asked the question that was in everyone's head. "Um...What just happened?"

Rima just shrugged. "Seems like he's been caught by the green-eyed monster."

"Ow, Kukai, you're hurting me!" Amu winced as his grip tightened on her. Kukai just ignored her and dragged her to a deserted hallway. He then turned around and pinned Amu to the wall. "What the hell Kukai? Let go of me!" Kukai said nothing and kept his eyes looking down on the floor. Amu struggled so Kukai held her tighter. Amu whimpered.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Kukai asked softly, though it was not the question running through his head.

Amu tilted her head to the side. "Eh? Are you mad because of that?"

Kukai just ignored her question. Instead, he looked up with blazing eyes. "Who was that?" Amu remained silent out of fear. "Who was that guy you were with?"

"What the hell is your problem?" Amu snapped. "Why are you so pissed off just because I was with Taihou?" Kukai said nothing and lowered his head.

"Don't go near that guy," he muttered. Amu looked at him with confused eyes. But the confusion soon turned into fury.

"Who gave you the right to order me around? Huh? I can hang out with whoever I want! Besides, why are you so mad?" Amu yelled. She dropped her head to avoid his gaze. "I don't get you today Kukai..." Kukai loosened his grip on her and Amu took the chance to break free. She ran down the hall, but stopped and looked back at Kukai, who was now slumped against the wall. Amu's eyes saddened and she walked away, leaving Kukai feeling frustrated.

**Kukai's P.O.V.**

After Amu left, I punched the wall to take out my frustration. I don't know why I was so pissed when Amu was with that other guy. Maybe I was just in a bad mood because she didn't wake me up, causing me to be late. Yeah, that's probably it! I shook my head, shaking off the thoughts as I wandered back to my classroom.

"Kukai! Where did you go?" I looked up to see Utau running towards me. I felt my face go warm but I kept my cool.

"Oh, it was nothing," I mumbled.

"Oh, ok! Then can you help me with something?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well, I need someone to help me put up some posters around the school!" Utau said cheerfully. That's right! She was in the student council! I blushed and nodded, thinking about spending time with Utau.

Utau smiled happily. "Thanks! I'll see you in the student council room after school then! Bye!" and off she went. I smiled to myself. I walked back to my seat and stared out the windows and watched the clouds float by, thinking about spending some time with Utau.

_Lunchtime..._

It was lunch already and my friends and I sat down in the middle of the soccer field eating our lunch. I was actually waiting for Amu to come, since she always eats lunch with us.

"Hey, where's Amu today?" my best friend, Ikuto, asked. I shrugged and continued eating my sandwich. To tell the truth, I was pretty worried. I shook the feeling off, thinking she probably had some club activity or something. Wait, she never joined any clubs!

"I'm going to go find her right now," I said, standing up and dashing off to where Amu and her friends usually eat together. I ran there and saw Amu's friends, but Amu was nowhere to be seen. Worried, I went up to her best friend. "Yo Mashiro! Where's Amu?"

Mashiro just looked at me with a blank face. "Oh, it's you," and then she went back to eating her lunch.

My eye twitched. "Hey...you..."

"Oh, you're still here?" I dropped to the ground in defeat.

"Can you just tell me where Amu is?"

"Oh, Amu? I don't know." I fell down anime-style.

"Then why didn't you tell me before?" Mashiro just shrugged and continued eating. I picked myself up and started walking to places that Amu often goes to. I checked the gardens but she was not there. I went to the playground, but only saw little kids there. Where is that girl? I sighed and ran to her classroom, hoping she was there. I poked my head in but only saw her classmates. Frustrated, I ruffled my hair and thought. Where can she be? Then, I got it. I rushed towards the rooftop. I heard music coming from the other side of the door. I was sure that was Amu.

_I-I-I-I-I-I_

_I came to dance, dance, dance, dance._

_I hit the floor 'cause that's my plans, plans, plans, plans._

_I'm wearing all my favorite brands, brands, brands, brands._

_Give me some space for both my hands, hands, hands, hands._

I slammed the door open. "AMU!"

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**Me:** Oooo CLIFF HANGER! what do _**you** _think will happen next? Submit a review and let me know!


	5. Why me?

**Me:** I'm sooo sorry I couldn't update sooner! I had 2 major tests and 3 projects and I was just really busy! I only have 2 projects left so I can write more! YAY! Please forgive me -bows- and I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you all (even thought it's a little short...)

**Kiseki: **ArtsyNinja3 does not own anything because I own everything! BOW DOWN TO ME YOU USELESS SERVANTS! MWAHAHAHAH-

**Me:** -gags Kiseki- sorry about that...now please enjoy the story! -turns to Kiseki- I'm never letting you do the disclaimer ever again!

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**Kukai's P.O.V.**

I opened the door to see Amu break-dancing to the beat. I stood there frozen as I watched her do back flips, handstands and danced to the rhythm of the music. I never knew she was in such good shape!

_Yeah, yeah_

_'Cause it's goes on and on and on~!_

_And it goes on and on and on~!_

_I throw my hands up in the air sometimes,_

_Saying ayo!_

_Gotta let go!_

_I wanna celebrate and live my life_

_Saying ayo_

_Baby, let's go_

Amu didn't notice me yet, since her back was facing me, and closed her eyes as she danced. I was still in the state of shock. You know, mouth open and eyes wide. That kind of thing. She turned around and opened her eyes. She was doing a handstand when she noticed me. Her eyes widened and I saw the arm supporting her whole body shake. Then, she dropped down to the ground.

"Ouch!" She rubbed her wrist trying to ease the pain. I suddenly remembered what happened this morning. I started feeling really guilt as she walked over to her iPod and shut the music off. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you," I replied simply.

"Hn."

We stood there for quite a while in awkward silence. I couldn't take it anymore so I thought about things we could talk about. "Umm..."

"Yo Hinamori! I got our drinks!" a voice called from behind. I turned around to see the new kid from Amu's class. What is he doing here? "Here ya go!" he said as he handed Amu a can of pop. Amu nodded for thanks, opened the can and started chugging down the whole thing. "Oh! Who're you?" the guy asked.

"Kukai Souma. Second year," I replied stiffly. God what is wrong with me!

"Taihou Nagatsuka. First year. Nice to meet you." I just nodded and looked at Amu.

She noticed me staring at her and looked at me. "What?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Never mind..." I started walking towards the door. "Well, I'm not going to disrupt your playing so play safe!" I yelled over my shoulder with a big grin. I saw Amu blush like a tomato from the corner of my eye.

"Shut up Kukai!" I chuckled and went back to where my friends were.

**Amu's P.O.V.**

I sighed after Kukai left.

"Is that him?" Taihou asked. I nodded. "You got it bad!"

I stared at him disbelievingly. "What do you mean?"

"You luurve him!" he annouced mockingly.

I blushed but tried to hide it by turning my head away from him. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Now, now, Hinamori. No need to be shy!"

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about," I said, steadier than the last time.

"It's all in your eyes." I turned to look at him with a what-do-you-mean face. "When you saw him, you're eyes basically lit up like a five-year-old when it's Christmas."

I sighed. "Am I really that obvious?"

"Yup!" Taihou chirped. I groaned and put my head between my knees. "Hey! Don't look so glum!"

"It's kinda hard not to when someone you just met already knows who you like," I mumbled. I started thinking how I got stuck with the new kid...

_*Flashback*_

_After Kukai stormed away, I walked back into my class rubbing my wrists. The new kid saw me and ran up to me._

_"Hey, you ok?" I nodded and walked back to my seat. I took out a novel and started reading while the new student just stared at me. I started to feel really self-conscious._

_"What do you want?" I asked, changing into my outer character._

_"I was wondering...can you show me arou-"_

_"No," I interrupted him and went back to my book._

_"But you didn't even let me finish!:_

_I sighed and closed my book. "Fine. Finish your sentence."_

_Taihou smiled. "As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted...Can you show me around? I think I'll get lost in this place..."_

_"No. Find someone else," and with that, I grabbed my stuff and walked out of the classroom. It was break anyways. I went to my locker and put my things in. I closed my locker door to see the new kid leaning against the lockers._

_"Don't be like that!" I ignored him and proceeded to the cafeteria to buy some food. I grabbed a muffin, paid for it and left, only to find Taihou just outside the doors waiting for me. Once I saw him, I quickly ran away. I ran through the halls and found an empty room and shut myself in there. I panted and sat down on the floor. There's no way he can find me now! I smiled to myself and started eating my delicious muffin. I took out my book and started reading._

_"Enjoying yourself there?" someone behind me spoke. I probably jumped like 3 feet high and turned around slowly. I turned around to see Taihou just casually sitting on the window sill._

_*End of Flashback*_

And then, I eventually gave up and showed him around school and ended up practicing dance with him. Turns out he is really good at sports. I sighed and turned to look at Taihou, who was now staring up at the clouds. I shook my head and decided to watch the clouds with him. Why me?

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**Me:** -throws Kiseki in a random closet- Please review and tell me whatcha think!


	6. To the library!

**Me: **Hey~! This is chapter 6 like I promised. Enjoy~!

**Dia: **ArtsyNinja3 does not own anything except for her own characters and the plot.

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**Amu's P.O.V.**

I woke up early this morning and got ready for school. To tell the truth, I'm actually the kind of person who likes their sleep, but because I didn't want Kukai to be late, I always wake up early for him. Mostly because I know that there is absolutely no way he would wake up by himself. The day that he does will be the day the world ends. I grabbed a piece of toast and stuffed it into my mouth as I headed across the street to Kukai's house. Kukai's mom knew that I would always come get Kukai so she never locks the door in the morning. I walked straight into his house and casually walked into Kukai's room. His room was the same as always. Soccer stuff, jerseys, socks, books, and clothes everywhere. I sighed as I walked up to Kukai, who was still sleeping soundly in his bed, snoring softly. I sat down on the edge of his bed and looked at his sleeping face. And here comes the everyday difficulty. Every time I come to wake him up, I hesitate. Kukai always looks so peacefull when he's sleeping and he always makes me wonder whether or not I should wake him up or not. But then again, everyone looks peaceful when they're sleeping.

"Kukai, wake up!" I said sofly while shaking his shoulder. Kukai just ignored me and turned to his side. "Kukai! You're going to be late if you don't wake up!" I tried again, but he still failed to budge. I sighed and tried a few more times but the best I got was a "5 more minutes" before he went back to Dreamland.

"Ok then, Kukai, I didn't want to do this..." I took a deep breath before yelling, "SOUMA KUKAI YOU STUPID IDIOT! IF YOU DON'T GET UP THIS INSTANT I WILL THROW AWAY ALL YOUR POSSESIONS AND I WILL TELL UTAU ALL YOUR EMBARRASING SECRETS SO GET YOUR ASS OUT OF BED!"

That seemed to do the trick, since Kukai's head popped out of the covers with his eyes wide. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, but I would." And with that, Kukai shot up from his bed and pushed me out of his room to get changed. One of the privileges of being a best friend is that I have seen every side of Kukai, while Utau has only seen the "cool and cheery" Kukai. I smiled to myself at the thought. But I knew there was no way that Kukai would like me back. That's just how it is.

"Let's go now!" Kukai yelled as he burst through his door and ran downstairs. I ran after him and when we both got what we needed, we ran out of the house and headed to school. We slowed down when we were near the school and started walking in silence.

"Amu."

"Yes, Kukai?" I turned my head towards Kukai, who had his head up looking at the clouds above us and his arms behind his head.

"You shouldn't watch me while I sleep you know. I mean, it makes you look like a pervert," Kukai snickered. A vein popped as Kukai continued to laugh.

"Well, if you were already awake, why didn't you say so? God! I'm never going over to wake you up again."

**Kukai's P.O.V.**

"Aw, don't be like that! We're besties aren't we?" Amu suddenly fell silent after I said that. I frowned as I turned my head to look at Amu, who looked kind of upset. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Amu shook her head. "Nothing, just wondering if I can still go over to your house, even when you get a girlfriend. I mean, girls don't usually like it when other girls do that right?" Amu laughed bitterly. I frowned and wondered myself. It was true, what Amu had said. Would everything still be the same if I start going out with Utau? I could tell Amu was troubled, even though she was trying her best to hide it. Before we knew it, we were in front of the school gates.

"Ok, well then, see ya Kukai!" Amu called over her shoulder as she ran to join her group of friends. I watched her from a distance and wondered just how long this friendship will last until. I mean, they say childhood friends will have to part some day.

"Yo, dude! What are you doing there standing like an idiot?" my best mate, Ikuto, slapped me on the back disrupting my thoughts.

"Oh, nothing important," I mumbled. "Let's get to class." Ikuto just shrugged and followed after me.

_Lunchtime..._

Ikuto and I went to the cafeteria to get our food.

"Yo, dude! Hurry up!" Ikuto called when I was getting my food.

"Ok! Chill! You're not going to die if you wait for a few more seconds!" I called back.

"I beg to differ." I sighed and quickly got my lunch before walking with Ikuto to the rooftop, where we usually eat. My friends started eating right away but I waited for a few minutes. Usually, Amu would come and eat with us but she hasn't showed up yet. Frowning, I picked up my sandwich and took a bite.

"Hey, I wonder where Amu is," Nagi said while munching on his salad.

"Yeah, did you say something wrong?" Tadase teased. The guys burst out laughing while I just took another bite of my sandwich.

"I wonder..."

**Narrator's P.O.V.**

_Meanwhile..._

On the other side of the school, Amu was eating lunch with her friends.

"Well, this is new," Rima said while eating her sushi. "What happened?" Amu looked at her confused. "What? Usually you eat lunch with that idiot senpai don't you? Why the sudden change of heart?"

Amu just smiled, "Nothing happened. I just thought it would be better for me to start distancing myself from Kukai so it won't be so hard to do so when he gets a girlfriend." Rima and Yaya frowned while Amu just pretended like nothing was wrong._ I wonder what happened..._ they both thought. It was unusual for Amu to distance herself from her best friend.

_After school..._

"Man, I've never seen Kukai so pissed before," Ikuto whispered while Nagi nodded in agreement. Our usually cheerful soccer star was in a real bad mood. Kukai has been emitting a "Come closer and you die" aura around him throughout lunch. Our very own Kukai Souma, the one who has captured all the girls' hearts, was being ignored by our favourite pinkette. And boy was he ticked off.

"I feel like he's a bomb that can explod any minute," Tadase whispered to Nagi.

"Shh! He might hear you!" Nagi hushed when Kukai coincidentally turned his head in their direction.

"Dude, hurry up!" Kukai shouted to Ikuto.

"Oh, so you're walking home with lil' ole me now? Just because your precious childhood friend is ignoring you?" Ikuto was now pushing Kukai over the edge. "Well, too bad! I don't enjoy being someone's second choice, ya know?" Ikuto huffed and turned his back against Kukai.

"Come on, Ikuto!" Kukai whined.

"No can do, bro. And besides, I have to help out at the library."

Kukai raised his eyebrow, then burst out laughing at the thought of Ikuto helping out in the library. "You? Help out? In the_ library_? Hahahaha! Oh my god, don't make me laugh!"

"I'm not kidding. Apparently I need to start my volunteer hours so the teacher forced me to go help out in the library. So bothersome..." Ikuto yawned. "Well, see ya," and with that, the blue-haired teen headed towards the library, leaving Kukai by himself in the hallway.

_While that was happening..._

"Amu-chi! Why are you taking so long?" Yaya whined. "Let's hurry up and go to the mall!"

"Sorry Yaya," Amu said while getting her stuff, "I still need to go to the library."

"The library?" Rima said skeptically.

"Yes, the frickin' library because according to Nikaidou-sensei, I either have to go help out in the library or write a 10 page essay with the topic of "How to avoid being late in the morning"." Rima and Yaya laughed at Amu's misery before leaving her be. Amu sighed and headed towards the library. _It's alright,_ she thought. _I'll just get this over with._ She entered the school library and headed over to the librarian, only to bump into...

* * *

**Rhythm:** Please review! Yeah!


	7. Are you sure you're not lost?

_*Recap*_

_"Dude, hurry up!" Kukai shouted to Ikuto._

_"Oh, so you're walking home with lil' ole me now? Just because your precious childhood friend is ignoring you?" Ikuto was now pushing Kukai over the edge. "Well, too bad! I don't enjoy being someone's second choice, ya know?" Ikuto huffed and turned his back against Kukai._

_"Come on, Ikuto!" Kukai whined._

_"No can do, bro. And besides, I have to help out at the library."_

_Kukai raised his eyebrow, then burst out laughing at the thought of Ikuto helping out in the library. "You? Help out? In the library? Hahahaha! Oh my god, don't make me laugh!"_

_"I'm not kidding. Apparently I need to start my volunteer hours so the teacher forced me to go help out in the library. So bothersome..." Ikuto yawned. "Well, see ya," and with that, the blue-haired teen headed towards the library, leaving Kukai by himself in the hallway._

_While that was happening..._

_"Amu-chi! Why are you taking so long?" Yaya whined. "Let's hurry up and go to the mall!"_

_"Sorry Yaya," Amu said while getting her stuff, "I still need to go to the library."_

_"The library?" Rima said skeptically._

_"Yes, the frickin' library because according to Nikaidou-sensei, I either have to go help out in the library or write a 10 page essay with the topic of "How to avoid being late in the morning"." Rima and Yaya laughed at Amu's misery before leaving her be. Amu sighed and headed towards the library. It's alright, she thought. I'll just get this over with. She entered the school library and headed over to the librarian, only to bump into..._

_*End Recap*_

* * *

"Ouch!" Amu cried as her butt landed on the floor.

"I'm sorry. Let me help you up," the guy said as he extended his hand. Amu did not hesitate to grab it and looked up to see who she bumped into.

"Ikuto?! What are you doing here? Um...are you lost? Just in case you didn't know, this is the library."

"I'm not lost," Ikuto stated clearly.

Amu was silent for a second before replying with, "Let me repeat myself. Thiiis iis thee liibrary."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Heard ya the first time."

Amu looked at him and asked, "Why are you in the library if you're not lost?"

"I just don't feel like going home yet," Ikuto replied. Amu didn't seem to buy the excuse but decided to let it slide for today. She walked over to the librarian and asked her what she was supposed to do. The librarian handed her some books and a stamp and walked away.

"Well, anyways, I gotta go do some work so don't bother me," Amu told him after seating herself at a table.

Ikuto sat down in front of her and smirked. "No promises," he replied and cupped one side of his face while he stared at Amu, who was stamping the books.

_*Five minutes later...*_

Amu sighed, "If you have time to stare, why don't you help me stamp these books? Since you got nothing to do anyways."

Ikuto shrugged and got another stamp from the front desk and started to help Amu.

Amu stared at him while Ikuto was working. "Wow! I'd never thought you'd actually listen to me!"

"Oh just shut up and do your share." Before long, Amu and Ikuto were able to get the stack of books all stamped and sorted out.

Amu stretched her arms and smiled. "Now I can go home!" she cheered and grabbed her bag.

"Not so fast," the librarian spoke up from behind her computer. She looked at them from behind her thick, framed, old-lady styled glasses.

"First, you kids have to put all those books back onto the shelves in their proper place and help check in these returned books and put them in that cart over there. Then, you can leave."

"Ugh!" Ikuto groaned as he slid down his seat. "This is such a pain in the ass!"

Amu picked up a stack of books and made her way to the bookshelves. "Tell me about it." The two started putting the books back on the shelves. Amu went on her tippy-toes to try and put a book on the top shelf. "Just a little more..."

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed the book from her hand and placed it on the top shelf with ease. Amu turned around to meet Ikuto's chest. "Oof!"

"Listen, I'll take care of the higher shelves while you take care of the lower ones," he ordered and got back to work. Amu nodded and put books on the lower ones while Ikuto towered over her to get the higher ones. After fifteen minutes, they managed to put all the books back onto the shelves and checked in all the returned books.

"Now, all that is left is to put these in the cart," Amu states and grabbed a stack of books and placed them in the cart. While she was working, Ikuto decided to take a break and sat down in a chair. He placed his feet on the desk and relaxed. Amu noticed looked at him. "Aren't you gonna help me?"

Ikuto looked at her, then at the stack of books, and then at the cart. "Nahh! You're doing fine on your own."

"Meanie," Amu said with a pout but managed to get all the books into the cart in less than ten minutes.

"Well, well, well, what did I say?" Ikuto smirked while looking at the cart that was now filled with books. "Now let's get out of here before the librarian gives us more work!" And with that, the two teenagers grabbed their bags and rushed out the library. They slowed down after sprinting out of the library and panted. Then, they shared a look and started laughing. After laughing at each other, they calmed down and started walking down the corridors of the school.

"Hmm...it's already dark out," Amu said to herself while looking out the windows.

"Come on, I'll walk you home," Ikuto offered while Amu looked at him with suspicion. "What? You're a girl so it's not safe for you to walk alone when it's dark." Amu shrugged and followed him. They walked down the hallways in silence until Amu decided to break it.

"So what's the real reason why you came to the library?" Amu turned to him with a sly grin, "Are you sure you're not lost?"

Ikuto sighed, but then flashed his infamous smirk, "I'm here so that you won't feel lonely."

"Lonely my ass," Amu muttered.

Ikuto decided to change the subject. "So where were you at lunch?"

"With my friends," Amu replied without a single emotion on her face.

"Why weren't you with us? You _always_ eat lunch with us!" Amu just ignored him and quickened up her pace. Ikuto kept bugging her until suddenly, footsteps were heard from the other end of the hallway. Amu grabbed Ikuto by the arm and dragged him into a classroom.

Amu looked around. "Hey, this is Kukai's classroom," she said to herself. She found Kukai's desk and walked towards it. She placed her fingertips gently on the surface of the desk while a pained smile was plastered on her face. Ikuto, on the other hand, leaned against the wall and observed the pinkette with a frown.

All of a sudden, Ikuto's ears perked up and then this time, _he_ grabbed Amu by the arm. "Shh! I think they're coming inside!" Ikuto whispered and they hid under the teacher's desk. _Wait, why are we hiding?_ the two realized but it was too late. The classroom door slammed open and the two teenagers held their breath.

"Ahh! I knew it was here!" a girl spoke. _Utau_! the two hiding under the desk thought. They were able to see her shoes from under the desk.

"And why did I have to come back with you?" a boy piped up. Amu recognized the voice in an instant. _Kukai?! What is he doing with her?_ Amu thought.

"Because you have nothing better to do," Utau stated calmly.

"No I don't! I mean I have to walk home and do some homework and...and..."

"I rest my case."

"Shut up and grab your bag so we can leave!"

"Say, Kukai, I've been meaning to ask something for a while now..." Utau started.

"Ask away," Kukai replied with ease.

"So...um...what does Amu mean to you?" Amu's breath hitched while Ikuto started leaning towards Kukai's side in order to be able to hear his answer. There was a long silence, as if Kukai was thinking about it in his head. "You know what? Forget it. You don't have to answer me," Utau said after the long pause.

"No, you deserve to know," Kukai said. "Amu is..."

* * *

**Me:** Cliffhanger~! You all must hate me right now. I'm so sorry I couldn't update any faster. My brother has been hogging the damn computer so I couldn't update. Well you guys know what to do!


	8. Shattered pieces

**Me:** Hey! So sorry for not updating and when I do update, it's a short chapter! So sorry but I've been kinda busy and I'm still getting used to my schedule. Well, I hope you can forgive me. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy~!

**Temari:** ArtsyNinja3 does not own anything except for her own characters and the plot.

* * *

*Recap*

_"And why did I have to come back with you?" a boy piped up. Amu recognized the voice in an instant. Kukai?! What is he doing with her? Amu thought._

_"Because you have nothing better to do," Utau stated calmly._

_"No I don't! I mean I have to walk home and do some homework and...and..."_

_"I rest my case."_

_"Shut up and grab your bag so we can leave!"_

_"Say, Kukai, I've been meaning to ask something for a while now..." Utau started._

_"Ask away," Kukai replied with ease._

_"So...um...what does Amu mean to you?" Amu's breath hitched while Ikuto started leaning towards Kukai's side in order to be able to hear his answer. There was a long silence, as if Kukai was thinking about it in his head. "You know what? Forget it. You don't have to answer me," Utau said after the long pause._

_"No, you deserve to know," Kukai said. "Amu is..."_

*End of Recap*

* * *

Amu held her breath unconsciously while she waited for Kukai to finish his sentence.

"Amu is...my childhood friend. She's an important friend, but the most she'll ever be to me is a sister," Kukai said while he looked into Utau's eyes. Amu felt like her heart shattered to pieces. _Why? I should be used to getting rejected. But why does it still hurt?_ Amu thought sadly.

"She's just a childhood friend," Utau repeated.

"Yes."

"Will that ever change?" Utau asked in a soft voice. She noticed Kukai tense.

"I don't think so," he chose his words carefully.

"I trust you Kukai. I just want to let you know that ok?" Utau said, as if warning Kukai not to lie to her. Kukai just nodded. Ikuto waited until the two teenagers were gone before getting out from his hiding spot.

"Well, that was intense," he mumbled to himself and stretched. Then, he remembered that Amu was also with him. He looked back at Amu, who didn't move an inch. _Must have hit her pretty hard, hearing something like that,_ he thought to himself. He crouched down until he was at eye-level with her. "You ok?" he asked while Amu had her head down.

"I'm fine," she replied, but her voice was shaking. Ikuto lifted her chin up, only to see silent tears streaming down her pale cheeks. His eyes widened at the sight.

"You're...crying," he stated the obvious. Then, he realised how stupid he might have sounded. Amu tried the wipe the tears away, but they kept flowing. The poor girl looked so vulnerable. Ikuto didn't really know what to do. So he hugged her while Amu started to sob. _Of course Amu was crying,_ he thought to himself. _She just got an indirect rejection._ Ikuto thought about all the times Kukai rejected her. Each and every rejection that broke her heart into pieces, followed by overflowing tears. Ikuto remembered how Amu would always eat lunch with Kukai, or at least greet him and chat with him until she had to go. He wondered if Amu would still do that when Kukai got a girlfriend. Would she still walk to school with him, eat lunch with him or any of the other things she did for the boy she loved? Or would she distance herself so she would not interfere with his relationship. She chased after him for more than ten years now. Ikuto thought about how loyal Amu was to Kukai. Even though they weren't dating, Amu never even thought of looking at another guy. Amu was a wonderful girl, it's just that Kukai never noticed.

Amu was still crying, as if she was crying out ten years of pain and rejection. He wanted to tell her that everything will be alright, but he couldn't. Ikuto thought about how amazing Amu was, being able to follow after a guy for more than ten years. He probably wouldn't even last after a year.

"I'm sorry. I'm such a cry-baby," Amu mumbled while she hiccupped.

"It's alright to cry," Ikuto replied.

"I'm tired. Tired of crying. Tired of hoping that Kukai will spare me a glance. But most of all, I'm tired of waiting," she said. The hope that she usually has in her eyes was gone. She looked lost. Her eyes were blank and full of hurt and sadness.

"Does it always hurt this much?" Ikuto asked softly with his arms still around the poor girl. Amu didn't answer, but only nodded. With that, Ikuto tightened his hold.

_Next day_

Amu felt embarrassed and grateful for Ikuto for what happened the day before. She ruined his shirt and he didn't really mind. Something the normal Ikuto wouldn't say. She went to find Ikuto and thanked him. Ikuto just shrugged it off and smirked.

"You know, if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, just come find me. I'll make sure you feel better," Ikuto said as he waggled his eyebrows.

"How about we act like yesterday never happened and I stay away from you? Yeah, I like that plan way better. Ciao!" Amu said and left Ikuto by himself. "Once a pervert, always a pervert," she muttered under her breath. She passed Kukai in the halls without even noticing.

"Amu!" Amu whipped her head only to see Kukai running towards her. She quickly started running away from him. Kukai had an evil glint in his eyes as he chased after Amu. "Amu Hinamori! Why are you running away from me?!"

"Why are you chasing me?!" Amu countered as she sped down the corridors. Finally, Kukai caught up with her and grabbed her wrist. She was stopped abruptly and fell to the ground, pulling Kukai along with her.

"That frickin' hurt!" Kukai said while rubbing his head. Amu just remained silent and got up. She dusted herself and grabbed her things. Amu was about to leave when Kukai suddenly grabbed her hand. "Aren't you going to help me up?"

Amu thought about it for a while before sticking out her tongue at the boy. "Nahh! See ya!"

"Wait!" Kukai didn't let go of her hand and made her bend forward until his lips were right beside her ear. "Meet me at the school garden after school," he whispered. Amu nodded and he let her go. _I wonder what he wants to tell me,_ Amu thought as she made her way back to her classroom.

* * *

**Me:** Well that's chatper 8. Hope you liked it. Again, sorry it's short.


	9. Broken

**Me:** Sorry for the delay! I didn't update on Sunday because it was my birthday and I didn't really want to write anything so yeah. But...here's chapter 9 as promised!

**Dia:** Remember, ArtsyNinja3 does not own anything except for her own characters and the plot!

**Me:** Thanks Dia! Now on with the story!

* * *

**Narrator's P.O.V.**

Amu wondered what Kukai wanted to tell her. _Maybe he's finally going to return my feelings,_ Amu thought happily. Then, her mood suddenly dropped. "Who am I kidding? That will never happen," she muttered bitterly to herself. She suddenly remembered all she heard the night before. Her heart clenched as her eyes started to water._ No, I can't cry,_ she thought as she blinked the tears away. She quickly returned to her classroom and sat in her chair. The pinkette looked out the window and let her mind drift off to Dreamland. That was, until the new kid decided to interrupt her daydreaming

"Yo, Amu-chan, what are you thinking about?" Taihou asked as he put his head right in front of her's.

"What do you want?" Amu groaned as she put her head in her hands.

"Nothing. You seem troubled though," he replied with concern written on his face.

"It's none of your business," she told him.

"Come on, don't be that way! Aren't we basically buddies now?"

"Since when?" Amu asked coldly.

"What do you mean?! Don't you remember that bonding time we had on the rooftop!?" Taihou asked, feigning hurt as he put his hand over his heart.

"Oh please, stop being a drama queen. We already have one of that," she replied as she nodded her head in the direction of the drama queen of their class, Saaya Yamabuki, who was obsessed with Kukai and Tadase.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?" Amu stayed silent while Taihou sat down in front of her. "I'm going to keep pestering you until you tell me," he warned.

Amu sighed and told him everything that was troubling her. From her insecurities to what Kukai had said about her to her hope disappearing. Taihou just stayed silent until Amu finished rambling. He listened quietly and didn't interrupt her.

"I didn't get much sleep last night because of what he said," Amu told him as she ran a hand through her silky pink hair.

Finally, when Amu was done, she waited for him to say something. Taihou saw her looking at him expectantly and said, "Oh wow, I didn't know you were chasing him for that long."

"Yeah, it's been a while."

"Wow. More than ten years," he whistled. Taihou was silent for a second before asking her, "You know what I think?"

Amu shook her head. "No, what?"

"I think that guy is lucky to have someone who is so faithful to him. I think it's very impressive, how you can love the same guy after all these years of rejection. You are amazing," he answered sincerely. Amu smiled at him. Taihou broke out into a grin, "There we go! That's the smile I'm looking for!" Amu chuckled and shook her head in amusement.

"You seriously have nothing better to do right?" Amu said as she smiled softly at him. Taihou said nothing and smiled as he patted her head. Amu frowned at the fact that she was being treated as a small child, but decided to let it slide for the day. She closed her eyes with a smile still on her face while Taihou stroked her hair.

"I feel like a puppy," she mumbled. Taihou stopped patting her head for a second before chuckling and resumed stroking her hair. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep just as the bell rang, signalling class was starting.

"I'll be bringing her to the infirmary," Taihou announced to Nikaidou-sensei, who just nodded and gave him a sly smile. Rima glared at Taihou for being close to her while he just sweat-dropped.

"Use protection, children!" he called after Taihou. The class burst out laughing at the shocked and flushing face of Taihou.

"Shut up, stupid teacher!" Taihou yelled back as he closed the classroom door. The class continued laughing along with Nikaidou-sensei as Taihou carried Amu bridal-style down the hallways.

Coincidentally, Kukai was walking down the hall, returning to his classroom from a potty break. He strolled down the corridor with his hands behind his head and whistled a tune to himself. Suddenly, he saw Taihou carrying Amu to the infirmary. What the hell? he thought to himself as he stopped walking. Taihou ignored him, and continued walking to the infirmary with Amu in his arms.

"Hey!" Kukai called over his shoulder.

Taihou came to a stop and turned his head. "Oh, it's you senpai," he said as he nodded his head as a greeting.

"Yeah, what happened to Amu?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"Nothing really," Taihou answered casually. "She just fell asleep. Apparently she didn't get much sleep last night."

"Really?" Kukai asked. He frowned at the two in front of him. For some reason, he didn't like the fact that his childhood friend was in the arms of someone else.

"Well, I gotta go. Nice chatting with you," Taihou said shortly after a moment of silence. He turned around and was about to resume walking when Kukai caught him by the elbow.

"Wait, I'll take her there. You get back to class. Besides, I have something important I want to tell her." Taihou looked at Kukai before glancing at Amu's sleeping face.

Then, he let out a smirk. "Sure. Take care!" he said while passing Amu to Kukai and running off. What the hell was that smirk for? Kukai wondered as he carried Amu to the infirmary and laid her down on one of the beds. He sat down beside her and stared at her sleeping face. Kukai brushed her hair out of her face and rested his head on the bed.

"God, I feel like such a creeper," he muttered and buried his face into the bed. He watched as Amu breathed softly and how a smile was on her face. I wonder what she's dreaming about, he thought to himself. He didn't notice Amu stirring. Kukai leaned closer to her face and analyzed every feature.

"How long are you going to be staring at my face?" Amu asked as her eyes suddenly popped open.

"Holy shit!" Kukai cursed as he backed away and fell off his chair. Amu waited for him to get back on the chair before asking questions.

"Where am I?" Amu asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Infirmary," he answered.

"Where's Taihou-kun?" Amu asked as she sat up.

"He went back to your classroom," Kukai told her.

"Oh ok. You should get back to your class too."

"Nah, it's math right now and I really hate math. It doesn't make a difference if I skip."

"Kuk –"

"Hey Amu, remember when I said I had something to tell you after school?"

"Yeah?"

"Mind if I tell you now?"

"Sure, doesn't really matter."

"Well, it's more like asking…"

"Get on with it Kukai," Amu groaned.

"Why do I have a feeling that you're getting more distant?" Kukai asked with sadness in his eyes. He stared into Amu's eyes to see if he could spot any emotions. After all, they say the eyes are the windows to one's soul.

Amu only stared back at him blankly. "Huh?"

Kukai twitched and decided to let out all of his emotions. "Argh! Why don't you understand?!" Kukai sighed out of frustration and ran his hand through his messy hair. "I feel like you don't talk to me about anything anymore and that you're avoiding me!"

"I'm not avoiding you," Amu stated emotionlessly.

"You're doing it right now. You don't even show any emotions around me anymore!"

Silence filled the room. Kukai opened his mouth to talk some more before he was cut off by Amu. "Do you know how much it hurts?" she whispered.

"What?"

"Do you know how much it hurts?" she repeated louder. "Do you know how much it hurts, knowing that you will probably never love me back? Do you know how much it hurts, seeing you with Utau? Do you know how much it hurt when you told Utau you will only see me as a childhood friend?!" Amu asked him, getting louder after each question. "I was there last night."

Kukai was dumbfounded. _She heard everything?_ "Of course you don't! You don't even care anymore!"

"Who said I didn't care?!" he shouted back.

"Oh yeah? Do you know what you're doing everyday is only causing me pain?" Amu whispered.

"Then why don't you stop?" Kukai asked, more like pleading for Amu to end her suffering. He knew he would never return her feelings at the moment, and it would only cause her to suffer even more if she continued.

"Because I don't think I can stop, even if I tried. It would probably hurt more if I stopped." Kukai fell silent while tears were sliding down Amu's pale face. It pained him to watch her cry, but he didn't know what to say. He just turned away.

* * *

**Me:** Well...what do you think? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Whatever it is...remember to leave a review!


	10. Daydream Away

**Me:** Well...here's chapter 10 as I promised! This chapter is more about the past and Amu and Kukai's friendship. Enjoy~!

**Su:** ArtsyNinja3 does not own anything except for her own characters and the plot!

* * *

**Narrator's P.O.V.**

Nothing lasts forever. It had been a week since the last time Kukai and Amu actually sat down and talked to each other. Sure they greeted each other in the hallways, but Amu avoided Kukai as much as possible. After what happened in the infirmary the week before, Amu started ignoring Kukai. Truthfully, she didn't mean to explode on him. Amu was just stressed out that day. She knew that Kukai never meant to purposely hurt her. He would never do that. But distance was what they needed to collect their thoughts and get their act together. She thought that it was for the better. They were falling apart. If she got out of his way, he could go ask out Utau and be happy. She could try to move on. As long as he was happy, she would be happy for him. She would wish for his happiness as his best friend.

But it was not as simple as she thought.

Amu was finding it hard to avoid Kukai. She was struggling. Usually, she would complain about her day to Kukai, who would be doing his homework while she rambled on. Though it seemed like he was never really listening, she knew that he was. Amu would question Kukai about what she had just reported and if he got something wrong, she would hit him lightly on the head and they would laugh about it. Amu would usually stay for dinner with his brothers and acted like she was part of the family. Kukai's brothers considered her as a little sister too. She would often help Kukai prepare dinner, if she wasn't feeling lazy that day. Otherwise, she would laze around with Unkai.

_I wish I could see your face right now,_  
_'Cause you're grinning like a fool._  
_And were sitting on your kitchen floor,_  
_On a Tuesday afternoon._

They would all talk about random things and watch a cliché movie while making fun of the actors throughout the whole thing. Amu missed all of the things she used to do with Kukai. They would sometimes bicker, but nothing was ever serious. The two teenagers would laugh it off after five minutes. The longest time they had a fight lasted for two days, before Kukai and Amu apologized to each other at the same time.

_Doesn't matter when we get back,_  
_To doing what we do,_  
_'Cause right now could last forever,_  
_Just as long as I'm with you._  
_This time it was different._

The pinkette wanted to try living without her best friend for a few days, weeks even, if she was capable. It was probably the hardest challenge she ever faced, but it was for the better. Even though she loved him for so long, Kukai just didn't feel the same way for her. No matter what, she was determined to erase her love for him.

_You're just a daydream away._  
_I wouldn't know what to say if I had you._  
_And I'll keep you a daydream away,_  
_Just watch from a safe place,_  
_So I never have to lose._

Kukai ran his hand through his soft brown hair, messing it up in the process. The boy was frustrated. He hurt Amu once again. He knew, but he couldn't do anything that can ease her pain. Kukai knew he was the one causing her pain. The brunet locked himself in his room and just sat on his windowsill and looked out the window at the kids playing around in the neighbourhood. He smiled as he remembered how he and Amu used to be.

_We would go out on the weekend,_  
_To escape our busy lives._  
_And we'd laugh at all the douche-bag guys,_  
_Chasing down their desperate wives._

Amu and Kukai stuck together like glue. There was never a Amu with a Kukai. They would play around outside when it was warm outside with the sun shining in the clear, blue sky. The two kids would play some soccer in his backyard until it was dark before heading back inside and watching TV with his brothers. They'd laugh and joke about everything, never taking anything seriously. They were children who didn't give a care in the world.

_I would drink a little too much,_  
_And you'd offer me a ride._  
_I would offer you a t-shirt,_  
_And you would stay another night._

Amu and Kukai used to have sleepovers all the time, even on a school night. They lived so close to each other that their parents didn't care. If one of them wasn't home by nine, they would know they were probably at the other's house. They would play games with his brothers and stay up all night from watching a horror movie after being dared by Kaidou. Looking back at their childhood, it seemed to Kukai like a wonderful dream that he would never want to wake up from: a place where worries were non-existent.

_You're just a daydream away._  
_I wouldn't know what to say if I had you._  
_And I'll keep you a daydream away._  
_Just watch from a safe place,_  
_So I never have to lose._

Their friendship meant a lot to both of them, especially Amu. He was her first, best friend. She was always sort of a loner, since she was shy. After the girl met Kukai though, her shyness faded little by little. The two started spending more time together. They would do everything together. The two friends would play together and walk home together, with their shadows side by side. She started to be friendlier and started talking to her classmates. I guess his cheerfulness rubbed off on her. Gradually, Amu gained more friends and she was no longer the lone wolf who always sat at the back of the class by herself. But the friendship with her classmates could never compare to the one she shared with Kukai.

Once Kukai reached junior high though, a distance between them started appearing. Kukai went to the middle school branch of their elementary while Amu was still stuck in elementary. She rarely saw him at school, only when he visited her or he had business in the elementary school branch. They still hung out after school of course, but even that time was shortening. Kukai started going to clubs and even joined the student council. The loneliness that disappeared before was slowly coming back.

Amu was happy when she was going to junior high. It meant that she was going to be at the same school as Kukai again. She would be able to see him more often. Amu hummed a tune as she entered the middle school building and quickly went to find Kukai's class. She stood outside the door and peered in, only to see Kukai in the center of a crowd of people. He was laughing. He looked happy. It was like reality slapped Amu in the face. She watched quietly as Kukai joked around with his friends. It looked like he didn't miss her at all. Sighing, she turned around and left. Her shadow stood alone, as she made her way back to her house.

_We never stood a chance out there,_  
_Shooting love in the real time._  
_So we'll take it over ice tonight,_  
_With a little salt,_  
_And a little lime._

_You're just a daydream away._  
_I wouldn't know what to say if I had you._  
_And I'll keep you a daydream away._  
_Just watch from a safe place,_  
_So I never have to lose._

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**Me:** What do you think? REVIEW PLEASE! If you want to know when the next update is...check on my profile! Ciao!

Song used: Daydream Away by All Time Low. I do not own anything of it though I wish I did.


	11. Nominees

**Me: **Hello everybody! Happy Holidays! Hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas! And if you don't celebrate Christmas...well...I hope you're having a wonderful winter break! This is chapter 11 as I promised. Enjoy~!

**Miki:** ArtsyNinja3 does not own anything except for her own characters and the plot!

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**Narrator's P.O.V.**

Kukai walked silently to school by himself. Amu, once again, did not come wake him up. _This has got to stop,_ he thought to himself. He was going to talk to her today and make up with her.

"Kukai!" someone called him from behind. He turned around to see a girl with platinum blonde hair heading his way. "I called you like five times!"

"Sorry, I didn't hear you," he mumbled and looked away.

Utau frowned. Usually he would grin stupidly and look at her in the eye when talking to her. She did not like it one bit. "What's wrong, Kukai? You seem down this week," she said worriedly. Kukai sighed and did not respond. Instead, he kept on walking. Utau followed after him and they walked in an uncomfortable silence.

_At the school gates…_

"Amu-chi!" Yaya yelled. The pink-haired girl turned around and greeted her friend with a smile.

"'Morning, Yaya!" she called and waited for her friend to catch up. Then, a car pulled over and out stepped her other best friend. "G'morning Rima!"

"Good morning Amu," the blonde said quietly and flipped her blonde locks. The petite girl looked around to find the loud jock that would always be around Amu, but he was nowhere to be seen. She frowned. "Just how long is this silent treatment going last?" she asked her friend.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Amu replied.

"Don't give me the bullshit," Rima said bluntly. "You guys have been avoiding each other. Aren't you ever going to make up?"

Amu sighed. "We aren't avoiding each other."

"Yes, you are."

Amu huffed. "Can we not talk about this? The bell's gonna ring in a few." And with that, she walked off to their classroom.

Kukai arrived at the gates just seconds after Amu left. He looked around for the pinkette while Utau walked up from behind him. She saw Kukai searching for someone among the crowd, and then, after looking for a few seconds, he sighed. She frowned for the second time. She did not like the lack of attention. "Come on, Kukai," she said. "Let's get to class." He only nodded and followed after her like a lost puppy.

_In their classroom…_

Kukai sat down in his chair and rested his chin on the palm of his hand. He waited patiently for class to start. His classmates gave him looks of confusion and of worry. Kukai Souma does not just wait for class to start. He goofs around until the teacher tells him to stand in the hallways at punishment. Something was definitely wrong.

The teacher came in five minutes later and was ready to yell at Kukai when he saw him sitting in his seat while the others were out of their seats. Even the teacher was confused at the change. "S-settle down, c-class," the teacher stuttered. Everyone sat back down in their seats and their sensei cleared his throat. "Um, as you all know, every year, there are two students from each grade who will represent our school in a district camp that involves all the other public schools. So today, I want you to nominate two people in this class that would be suitable for the camp. Any questions?" A girl in the back raised her hand. "Yes?"

"Do we nominate a girl and a guy from our class?" she asked.

"Good question and yes. You can only nominate one boy and one girl," their teacher answered.

"How long is this camp?" a guy shouted out.

"Please raise your hand next time Tsukiyomi-kun. And to answer your question, the camp will be a week long."

"What exactly do you do in this camp anyways?"

"Tsukiyomi-kun, when I said raise you hand, I don't mean raise your hand and ask the question at the same time. I mean you raise your hand, I call on you, and then you can ask," the sensei sighed.

"Whatever. Are you going to answer my question?"

"You help discuss what you think your school need in terms of technology, equipment and supplies," their teacher answered. "Okay, no more questions. Now, I will be handing out two pieces of paper." Their teacher held up two slips of paper. One was blue, while the other was pink. "Write the name of the girl on the pink paper and write the name of the boy on the blue paper. The people with the most votes will get to represent our school." The teacher handed the pieces of paper to the students sitting in the front row and the students passed them back. The students started writing down names of people they wanted to nominate.

"Oh and you're not allowed to nominate yourself," their teacher reminded them and a series of groans echoed in the classroom. "When you're done, come hand in it into these boxes. Put the pink paper in the pink box and the blue paper in the blue box. If you guys get that wrong, you need to get your eyes checked or go back to kindergarten." After collecting every piece of paper there was, the teacher got the class representatives to count the votes.

"So, the guy representing our class is Kukai Souma with a total of nineteen votes," the class reps announced. "And the girl representing our class is Utau Tsukiyomi with a total of eighteen votes." The class cheered while the two nominees were confused.

"Hold up," Utau said. "Do we have to get nominated again? Since you said only two people from each grade can go."

"Exactly, Tsukiyomi-chan. You guys are going to go to the student council room today at lunch where all the other nominees of your grade will be gathered. And from there, there will be another vote."

_Meanwhile…_

"I nominate Himamori-san!" Nikaidou-sensei said excitedly.

"It's HINAMORI you stupid teacher. And no, I'm not doing it," Amu said coldly.

"Aw, come on Amu-chi!" Yaya whined. "It's just a week!"

"No. I hate those things. If any one of you nominate me, I will never talk to you again," she said, glaring at her fans. Her fans shivered and nodded. There was no way there would pass up a chance to talk to their idol. And that was how Amu Hinamori was not nominated to represent their grade.

_After school…_

"I can't believe we're going to the camp," Utau said with her eyes wide as she stared at the scenery before her. She had led the brunet to the rooftop of their school right after class ended.

"Well, you seem excited," Kukai sighed and sat down on the floor. He was not thrilled with the news. He was never good with these types of things.

"Aw, come on Kukai! It'll be fun! Besides, you don't have to come to school for a week," Utau smiled.

Kukai thought about it for a while. "I guess if you put it that way, it doesn't sound that bad…"

"That's the spirit! Well I gotta go," Utau said as she dusted her skirt. "See you tomorrow!" Kukai nodded and she walked away. The boy sat there for a few minutes before he decided it was time for him to head home. He grabbed his stuff and walked home.

On the way home, there was a river that he would always pass. He stared at the river. The sky was turning orange due to the sunset, making the water sparkle. He used to play by the river with his brothers and Amu. He smiled as memories washed over him. Then, he saw a figure sitting by the river. A girl with pink hair.

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**Me:** I think I'll stop there! REVIEW PLEASE!


	12. Night At the Soumas' Part 1

**Me: **Hey peeps! I know you all probably want to kill me but at least I updated right? Well, this is chapter 12 for you. Hope you like it!

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_*Recap*_

_On the way home, there was a river that he would always pass. He stared at the river. The sky was turning orange due to the sunset, making the water sparkle. He used to play by the river with his brothers and Amu. He smiled as memories washed over him. Then, he saw a figure sitting by the river. A girl with pink hair._

_*End of Recap*_

* * *

**Narrator's P.O.V.**

There weren't many people with pink hair in the neighbourhood so Kukai knew who it was immediately. He smirked and quietly made his way until he stood behind the pink-haired girl. He waited for a few seconds before yelling, "Boo!"

"Kyaa!" Amu screamed and fell into the river. Kukai burst out laughing until tears came out of his eyes from laughing too hard. Amu was still in the river, completely soaked and glaring at the auburn-haired boy. "I could use some help you know."

Kukai pulled her out of the water still laughing but then stopped when he saw her shiver. "Let's go to my house. It's closer."

Amu stared at him like he was crazy. "We're neightbours. I live right next to you."

"But you still have to walk a few steps to your house while my house is closer to the river." Amu sighed at his logic but decided to follow him to his house. Kukai took off his jacket and wrapped it around Amu's shoulders when he noticed she was shivering. Amu whispered a "thank you" and kept walking.

"Soo…," Kukai started, trying to strike a conversation. "Did you get nominated for the district camp?"

"No," she answered but didn't look at him.

"Oh," he replied and a silence welcomed them. It was not an awkward silence though. It was a comfortable silence between friends. They soon arrived at Kukai's house. Kukai opened the door and let Amu in first. While Amu was taking off her shoes, he quickly sprinted in and grabbed a towel from the bathroom and rushed out, only to find his brother, Unkai, with his childhood friend at the doorway.

"Amu! Long time no see! But why are you wet?" he asked.

"Ask your idiot of a brother," Amu grumbled, stepped into the house and grabbed the towel from Kukai. "Tadaima!" she shouted, like it was her own house.

"Amu!" the other brothers shouted once they heard her voice and quickly came to greet her. "Wait, why are you wet?"

"Ask Kukai," she replied. "Oh and Kaidou-nii, I expect you to give Kukai a punishment for this!" she called out as she walked into Kukai's room to grab some clothes.

"So, dear brother, care to explain?" Kaidou said as he looked down on his brother with his arms crossed.

"I may have scared her too much so she fell into the river," Kukai confessed sheepishly. Shuusui and Rento shook their heads while Unkai burst out laughing. "Wipe the floors, Kukai," Kaidou said, trying not to laugh. Kukai sighed and grabbed a rag and started wiping the floors.

"Well, I'll be going now. I'll bring the clothes once I washed them, 'kay?" Amu said as she walked down the stairs in some shorts and a shirt that was too big for her. The shirt stopped at her mid-thighs and hid the shorts she was wearing. Her hair was tied up into a loose bun and was still a bit wet.

"No prob," Kaidou said. "I'm guessing those are Kukai's," he said as he scanned her outfit.

"The shorts are Kukai's. The shirt is Rento's I believe," Amu said as she looked at herself. "But I found them all in Kukai's closet so I don't know."

"Are you trying to get me into more trouble?" Kukai whined when he saw Rento glaring at him.

"Stay over for dinner," Shuusui said. "We're having curry tonight." Amu bit her lip at the invitation. He knew that she loved curry and said that on purpose.

"Fine," she gave in and sat down on the couch. The others cheered while Kaidou and Shuusui smiled and walked into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Unkai and Rento sat down on opposite sides of Amu and they started watching TV while the youngest Souma was still wiping the floors and sulking. He hadn't talked to Amu for a while and when he finally had the chance to, he was forced to wipe the floors while his brothers catch up with Amu. That was just not fair. He muttered curses to himself as he was crouched down on the floor.

"Dinner's ready!" Kaidou shouted from the kitchen. The others all got up and made their way to the dining room. Amu stood off to the side and waited until all the Soumas were seated before looking for the empty seat left for her. That seat turned out to be in between Kukai and his brother Unkai. Her eye twitched at the arrangement but sat down nevertheless.

"Itadakimasu!" they all said before digging in.

"This is just as delicious as I remember," Amu said with a heavenly face and a mouthful of curry.

"Why thank you," Kaidou and Shuusui said in unison. Then, Kaidou and Kukai both reached out to grab the same piece of meat. _Here we go again_, Shuusui, Rento, Unkai and Amu all thought. They sighed when they saw the glint in the brothers' eyes.

"Let's take this outside," Kaidou said as he jerked his head in the direction of their backyard.

"Gladly," Kukai replied and stood up.

"Oh boy," Rento said as both brothers made their way to the backyard.

"And all over a piece of meat," Unkai remarked while Shuusui shook his head in disappointment.

"I swear, they never seem to grow up," Amu sighed but was curious so she walked to the backyard with the other brothers tailing behind her.

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**Me:** I think I'm losing my touch because I haven't been writing much...but I'll try to get back on schedule so hope that happens soon. If you're wondering when the next update will be, go to my profile. You'll find all of the dates of the updates to all of my stories there. While you're at it, please leave a review! Much appreciated. 'Till next time~!


	13. Night At the Soumas' Part 2

**Me: **I'm sooo sorry for always delaying the update but I'm getting back on track and I promise that the next time I extended the update, I'll have a reasonable excuse. I'm sorry but here's the next chapter! I have most of the ideas down for the next few chapters so it'll be easier to write and hopefully, the chapters will be longer.

**Yoru:** ArtsyNinja3 does not own anything. Nothing. Well except for her own characters and the plot that is. Nya~!

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*Recap*

_Then, Kaidou and Kukai both reached out to grab the same piece of meat. Here we go again, Shuusui, Rento, Unkai and Amu all thought. They sighed when they saw the glint in the brothers' eyes._

"_Let's take this outside," Kaidou said as he jerked his head in the direction of their backyard._

"_Gladly," Kukai replied and stood up. _

"_Oh boy," Rento said as both brothers made their way to the backyard._

"_And all over a piece of meat," Unkai remarked while Shuusui shook his head in disappointment. _

"_I swear, they never seem to grow up," Amu sighed but was curious so she walked to the backyard with the other brothers tailing behind her._

*End of Recap*

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"How long has it been?" Amu asked Shuusui without taking her eyes off of the two brothers playing a game of soccer in the backyard.

He glanced at his watch. "About ten minutes," he replied. Amu nodded and headed back into the dining room. The siblings walked back just in time to see Amu finishing off the last piece of meat.

"Yes! I beat ya!" Kukai's voice then rang from the backyard as he started laughing.

"Shut up brat. You got lucky today," Kaidou groaned. Kukai stuck his tongue out at him childishly before bouncing back into the house with his older brother trailing behind him.

He clapped his hands together and rubbed his hands while asking, "Now where is that meat?" His eyes scanned the table but saw that the plate was now empty. Immediately, he turned towards his other brothers with a glare. "Ok. Who ate ma meat?"

His brothers raised their hands innocently and stepped away from the table. Kukai frowned and saw that Amu was the only one who stayed in her place. "Guilty as charged," Amu deadpanned. "Now can we eat?" Kukai quickly nodded and sat back down. He knew better than to get into a fight with a hungry Amu.

Dinner resumed as if nothing happened. Amu smiled softly. It was nice to be able to have dinner with the Soumas again. It had been a long time since the last time they had dinner together. And plus, it meant that Kukai was trying very hard to build their friendship back up. It touched her that she almost cried, but she held the tears in. She was crying way too much for the past month. They quickly finished dinner and Amu decided that it was time for her to go home.

"But your clothes aren't dry yet," Kukai complained.

"Yeah, but it's getting late," she said as she looked out the window. It was dark outside and her parents were probably worrying.

"You can stay over," Kaidou suggested.

"B-but," Amu started to protest but was cut short.

"I'll call your parents right now and tell them," Kaidou interrupted and went to get the phone. Amu sighed while the brothers cheered.

"Now we can have our bonding time!" Unkai cheered as he threw an arm around the girl.

"Your mother said it was alright," Kaidou shouted from down the hall. "She says you can sleep over."

"Kukai, go get an extra futon," Shuusui told his little brother.

"Roger!" Kukai saluted jokingly and went to go get an extra futon and set it up in his room. Amu blushed at the thought of sleeping together with Kukai. _What are you thinking?!_ Amu mentally yelled at herself. _Calm down. This has no special meaning to him,_ she thought sadly. To him, it was probably just like the sleepovers they used to have when they were kids.

"Amu, if you want, you can go take a bath first. I already got the bath ready," Rento suggested when he spotted her so-called smile. Amu nodded and headed for the bathroom. She sunk down into the water and sighed at the feeling. She sat there, pondering whether or not he really was worth the chase. She never understood why she thought about it so much, since every time she thinks about it, she always ended up saying that he was worth it. After soaking in the warm water for fifteen minutes, she got out of the water and dried herself. She put her clothes back on and walked out of the bathroom. She went to the living room where everyone was playing video games.

"Who's next?" she asked as she dried her hair.

"I'll go," Shuusui said and got up. She took his seat and watched Unkai and Kukai play video games. She smiled at the scene. It felt nostalgic to her. She watched as the two bickered while Kaidou was off to the side reading the newspaper and Rento was reading a book.

"Nuuu! You cheated! You definitely cheated!" Kukai cried childishly when Unkai beat him in Mario Kart.

"Nu-uh. You're just a sore loser," Unkai replied.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Amu!" Kukai whined and hugged her. Amu fought back a blush. "Unkai's being mean to me!" Unfortunately for her, Unkai caught the blush that was crawling up her neck.

"You're welcome," he mouthed with a smirk. That made her blush even more. She threw a glare at the older brother.

"Kukai, get off of me," she said to the brunet.

"Yeah, Kukai!" Unkai piped up. "Stop hogging Amu to yourself." Unkai walked over to them and pulled Amu out of Kukai's arms. Amu sighed of relief as her blush died down, but then, Unkai hugged her from behind and rested his chin on the top of her head. Her blush slowly came back.

"What are you doing, you child molester! Let go of Amu!" Kukai cried and tried to pry Unkai's arms off of Amu.

"No. She's _my_ friend too," Unkai said as he stuck his tongue out.

"But she's _my best_ friend so let go!" The two brothers continued to bicker while Amu was sandwiched between them. Rento looked up from his book and saw that Amu was feeling very uncomfortable and decided to step in. When Unkai loosened his arms, he quickly took the chance and yanked Amu out of the mess.

"Thank you," she said as she hugged him. "You're the best." Rento looked over her shoulder and smirked at this brothers as he returned the hug. Ahh, family. What a wonderful thing.

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**Me:** Well, I hope you all liked it. I wanted to show like the relationship between the Soumas and Amu. Reviews?


	14. A Figure In the Shadows

**Me: **Sorry for the delay peeps! I was a little behind on some stuff so I forgot to update this story. Ma bad XD Anyways, here's chapter 14~! I have a feeling this story is going to be very, very long. Enjoy!

**Ran:** ArstyNinja3 does not own anything except for her own characters and the plot! Yay! Let's get on with the story!

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**Narrative P.O.V.**

Amu was feeling better these days. She got to spend more time with Kukai and she would hang out at his house after school. They would go play soccer at the park nearby with his brothers and just have a good laugh. She was now in class, barely paying attention to what the teacher was saying. Instead, she stared out the window and watched as the clouds floated by in the bright blue sky.

"So kids, remember the nominations for the district camp? Well, the results are in and one of the representatives of your grade is in our class. Congratulations, Hotori-kun." The class clapped politely while others cheered as Tadase blushed. "The camp will be next week and you will leave on Friday with the rest of the reps. I will give you all the information later after school. Now, take out your English textbooks and turn to page 50. Tsukiyomi-kun, since you think my class is so boring, why don't you start us off by reading the whole story?" the teacher continued. Ikuto groaned, but stood up and did as he was told, but in a monotone voice that made everyone giggle and snicker. A vein popped on the teacher's forehead, but their sensei kept silent. _At least he's actually doing what I say,_ he sighed as he wrote stuff on the board.

Amu smiled. She loved her class. It was chill and the teacher was nice. Her classmates didn't bother her, probably because she was hard to approach. She listened to Ikuto's monotone voice that gently lulled her to sleep.

_At lunch…_

Kukai walked down the hallway with his arms behind his head, whistling along. He walked to Amu's classroom and poked his head in the classroom. He scanned the crowd and spotted a blob of pink at the far side of the room.

"Oh hey Kukai-_senpai_, what are you doing here?" Rima asked with no expression whatsoever.

"I'm here to see Amu. Can you call her for me?" Kukai asked.

"Ah, you see, she's sleeping," Rima replied.

"Can you wake her up for me?"

"And why would I do that?" Rima countered, raising an eyebrow.

"It's important," Kukai replied seriously. Rima frowned at his expression and decided to do as he says and woke up the sleeping girl.

"Mm…5 more minutes," Amu mumbled and continued to sleep.

"Get up Amu-chan. Kukai's here to see you," Rima tried again. She shook the pinkette's shoulders so hard, poor Amu fell to the ground.

"Ouch! You could've just nudged me instead of pushing me to the ground," Amu grumbled. Feeling irritated that she was woken up, she waited for Rima to tell her why she was woken from her beautiful sleep.

"Kukai's here to see you," Rima repeated. Amu's eyes shot wide, looked towards the door and saw Kukai leaning on the doorframe with a grin. The blonde pulled Amu's sleeve so Amu was her height before whispering, "Tell me what he says 'kay?" She released the girl and watched as her friend followed the brunet out of the classroom.

"Time to do some eavesdropping," Rima muttered to herself once the two were out of sight. She quickly grabbed Ikuto, who was surrounded by girls, by the arm and dragged him off to follow the two with the boy complaining all the way.

_With Amu and Kukai…_

Kukai led Amu to the fields and they both lied down and watched the clouds float by.

"Amu," Kukai spoke up, getting the girl's attention.

"Yeah?"

"I'mleavingonFriday," Kukai spoke quickly.

"Wait what?" Amu sat up immediately and stared down at Kukai. "Repeat that again."

"I'm leaving on Friday," Kukai said slower this time. "I was chosen as the rep for our grade, along with Utau." Amu's face flashed a look of irritation before she replaced it with a nonchalant look.

"Well, have fun," Amu told him.

"Amu."

"Yeah?"

"I know you're upset," he went straight to the point.

"Of course I am! You're going off to a district camp with the girl you like. You will probably make moves on her. How am I supposed to feel? Happy? Happy that the guy I love is going to get a girlfriend, who is not me?" Amu blew up all the insecurities and anger she had bottled up. "She's pretty, smart, everything that I'm not. Of course you will choose her over me. I'm only your best friend. Maybe a sister you never had, but never a girlfriend," Amu's voice started to quiet down. "You two will be alone for a week while I'm still here, waiting for you to come back. Waiting for you to come to me."

"Amu…" Kukai started when he saw tears glistening in her eyes.

"No, don't. Just don't." Amu quickly wiped away her unshed tears and placed a smile on her face. A genuine smile, but a sad one. "I will wait until you come back and I will welcome you home with a smile on my face. No matter what happens at camp. I will always be here for you, whether you like it or not," she added cheekily. Kukai smiled. He could always count on Amu.

He stood up and wrapped his arms about the girl and whispered, "You will always be my most precious friend. Nothing will ever change that." He gave her a light squeeze and released her.

"I will spend as much time as I can with you this week to make up for the time that we won't be together when I'm gone. Sound good?"

Amu smiled, "Sounds perfect."

Unknown to them, there were two figures hiding behind a bush. Ikuto sighed, "Why am I here again?"

"I needed a partner in crime," Rima replied.

"You could've grabbed someone else," he grumbled.

"Oh shut it. I know you were actually concerned about Amu," Rima replied while Ikuto looked the other way.

Then, something, or should I say, someone caught his eye. "Hey, is that Utau?" he asked Rima.

"Where?" Rima asked and looked in the direction that Ikuto was pointing to. There was a girl with long pigtails standing by the school building, watching the interaction between the two childhood friends in the field. Sure enough, it was Utau Tsukiyomi.

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**Me:** Well, I hope y'all enjoyed that. I'd appreciate it if you guys can gimme some ideas for the next chapter. That'd be much appreciated XD ArtsyNinja3 signin off~! Peace!


	15. AUTHOR'S NOTE (DON'T IGNORE PLEASE)

I AM SOOO SORRY IF YOU ALL THOUGHT THIS WAS GOING TO BE A NEW CHAPTER.

I've been really caught up with school and homework and projects that I couldn't find the time to sit down and write my stories. There's a lot going on next month too. I have auditions and exams coming up so I think June 9th will be the last time I'm updating before everything calms down during the summer. But I will give you guys 2 chapters so I hope you'll forgive me.

I'll be travelling more this summer and I'm pretty sure my brother will be hogging the computer most of the time so I can't guarantee that I'll be updating as much but I'll try my best! I'll still be writing throughout the summer but I probably won't be uploading them onto the site. So basically, I won't be following my schedule anymore until when school starts. I promise though, in September I will upload all of the chapters that I have written.

So the last update until the end of the summer will be next sunday. I'll see you guys in September and maybe in the summer! Peace out!


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